It’s FINALLY Spring!

Spring is here … and it’s the perfect time to get out, have fun and enjoy nature! Put some spring in your step on the winding paths of Wellfield Botanic Gardens. 25,000 eye-popping tulips and daffodils add plenty of color to your life. Catch the “daily grind” at Bonneyville Mill and take home bags of freshly ground flour. It’s the real deal and a real bargain. Bust out the bike (or rent one) for an outing on the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail and easy-going pedaling along trails lined with spring wildflowers.

Spruce up your home (and spirit) with Gutter Screens. We promise they will change the way you do gutter cleaning forever! No more annoying gutter cleaning during your Spring Cleaning!

Here are just a few spring-time things to experience in northern Indiana Amish Country:

Wellfield Botanic Gardens – Elkhart

Get a breath of spring from the blossoming bushes filling the air with fragrance and an eyeful of spring from the 25,000 tulips and daffodils filling the vista with eye-popping color. Take note of animals “roaming” the Gardens too. But don’t worry; they’re cast in bronze and always approachable.

So what sets this botanic jewel apart? Wellfield’s aquifers supply fresh water for the city’s residents and the streams, ponds and waterfalls throughout the Gardens.

Bonneyville Mill celebrates its 184th spring producing stone-ground flour to take home for health-smart baking. Catch the “daily grind” and chat with the friendly miller. The surrounding park with 222 acres of rolling hills, woodlands and meadows is perfect for a brisk walk along miles of trials and spotting nesting and brightly colored birds. There’re also plenty of quiet spaces to relax and picnic.

Snap a perfect picture too – Bonneyville Mill is one of the most photographed spots along the Heritage Trail.

Three trails, the MapleHeart Trail, Maple City Greenway and the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail connect Elkhart, Goshen, Middlebury and Shipshewana. The trail system passes through urban areas, small towns and agricultural communities. The countryside along the trails includes the third largest Amish community in the United States.

Most of this 16.5-mile trail is on the abandoned Pumpkinvine railroad corridor. The trail surface is asphalt, except from State Road 4 to County Road 28 northeast of Goshen where the packed limestone surface is accessible and suitable for narrow-tired bicycles.

Maps of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail, including trail head markets and parking, are available here.

Watch the spring spectacle outside the windows of Amish Acres Barn restaurant. Bright green pastures, fluffy yellow ducklings and a wandering peacock or two enhance the views. An April dinner in the century-old restaurant barn insists you to leave winter behind. Wood floors and hand-hewn beams provide the rustic setting to dine on heaping platters and savory sides of fresh-from-the-farm foods. Start with baskets of buttery soft bread slathered with locally made apple butter. Platters of smoked or slow-roasted meats share the table with garden relish and sage dressing. A slice of pie – Shoofly tops the list – lends a delicious finish to every “Thresher’s” meal, named for the hearty spread enjoyed by farm workers after a day in the fields.

Hot from the griddle pancakes smothered in pure maple syrup are a highlight at this event that’s been a town tradition for 44 years.

Tour maple sugar camps, take a ride in an Amish buggy, munch free kettle popped corn as the parade goes by and enjoy lively entertainment. Be sure to take home a jug of maple syrup or bag of giant maple syrup flavored jellybeans.